Bears want to build on unexpected 3-0 start

Thursday

Sep 30, 2010 at 12:01 AMSep 30, 2010 at 9:44 PM

In a little over three weeks, the Bears have gone from an underdog team coming off a rough and rocky preseason to the only team in the NFC with an undefeated record, and the one with the biggest target on its back.

Jay Taft

In a little over three weeks, the Bears have gone from an underdog team coming off a rough and rocky preseason to the only team in the NFC with an undefeated record, and the one with the biggest target on its back.

They are just fine with that, as long as the winning continues.

“Now people realize, ‘Hey, the Bears are 3-0.’ That, and what we’re doing out there on the field, automatically puts a target on our back,” cornerback Tim Jennings said. “A lot of playoff-caliber teams have at least one loss. We have to keep doing what we’re doing, keep our composure, and keep winning games. It’s fun when you win games, and the guys in this locker room realize that.”

Since 1970, the year of the NFL/AFL merger, the Bears have been 3-0 nine other times, making the playoffs seven of those.

This year’s squad has already set its sights on the postseason, though the players know that everyone out there is going to be coming after them, trying to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“Starting 3-0 with some of the teams that we’ve played and in those environments, I think you can take a lot of positives from that,” tight end Greg Olsen said. “But as we’ve all said, there are 13 more weeks. It could go in a lot of different directions, and we just have to make sure that what we’ve done up to this point, we continue to do and more.”

They expect the Giants to come after them in the Sunday night road game. They know that the perception around the league about the Bears has shifted a bit, but they also know that has very little to do with how, or where, they finish.

“There are 13 games left and this thing is far from over,” quarterback Jay Cutler said. “There could be teams 0-3 right now with a great chance of making the playoffs, and we understand that. This is a tough game, and we’re going one by one.”

Cutler has helped the Bears offense do just enough to win each week, throwing for 870 yards and 6 TDs with just two interceptions.

Chicago has outscored its first three opponents 66-51.

Their next two games are on the road, and no matter where they play from here on out, every team out there will be looking to hand Chicago a loss.

“Now we’re not going to really sneak up on many people,” Olsen added. “Everyone wants to be that first team to beat the undefeated. So we have to come out and be willing to take everyone’s best shot.”

Bears reporter Jay Taft can be reached at 815-987-1384 or jtaft@rrstar.com.